“Ok.” She smiled and sniffled. “Ok, baby. Take me home.”
Smiling, I fought through my own tears as I ran over to the driver’s side. The day had been heavy, but it ended in the best possible way. I never thought this kind of love would be in the cards for me. Now that I had it, my life would never go back to what it was before Blossom. I was vowing to show her daily that she made the right choice by choosing me to spend the rest of her life with.
Damn, I can’t wait to tell Jaseon and Breonna they’re about to be grandparents.
“Baby,you know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, right? There’s not a soul on this earth that’s going to check you about it either.”
Staring up at the building, I gave JJ’s hand a firm squeeze. Today, my parents and I decided to visit Rowan at Stillwater Rehabilitation Institute. With the physical and mental anguish he had endured, my father felt as if it were best to provide him with the best care for his condition.
“I need to do this,” I assured JJ, peering up at him with a small smile. “The next chapter can’t begin if the previous one hasn’t properly ended.”
“This is our story, and we can write it however the fuck we want.” He mugged me, holding the door open that led to the front lobby. “Who’s going to tell us any different?”
The giggle that slipped through my lips at his brashness left the moment I set foot inside the institution. The smell of antiseptic made my stomach turn, and it was hard not to gag. Contrary to the brightness of the afternoon sky, the inside of this place felt so gloomy and heavy. As I looked around at the white walls and residents who moved like zombies, there was a moment of hesitation mixed with realization.
I’ll never come here again.
“Come on and let’s get this shit over with,” JJ mumbled, pulling me into his side as he kissed my temple. “I’ll check us in.”
Giving him a quick nod, I held his hand for dear life as I followed him to the receptionist’s desk. I held on to him as if I were afraid someone would take me away. In each corner, an armed guard stood like a statue as they kept a sharp eye on the patients. Some of the patients were speaking incoherently, while others babbled on about the spaceship that carried the aliens who came to them in their sleep. The mass majority sat alone, eyes quiet from being heavily medicated, rocking back and forth to the voices trapped in their own mind.
The sliding doors opened with a soft hiss as the sound of my heels clacked into the next room. Round tables and bolted-down chairs were scattered about inside the visitation room. The walls were ridiculously white without a window in sight. Having to live here long-term felt more like a prison sentence than a health institution. The soft chatter of the families visiting their loved ones filled the air, but many of the patients receiving the visits said nothing, their body language showing their frozen state. As I continued through the large room, a figure came into view on the far end, in the corner.
Rowan.
“Rowan, what are you looking at?” my father asked him, placing his hand on his knee. Glancing over his shoulder, my father’s eyes lit up at the sight of me. “Blossom, you came!”
Giving my father a soft smile, I shifted my eyes back to my brother’s. The fear was evident in his orbs and his aura. I didn’t know if his panic was from seeing me, being institutionalized, or from my guest of the evening.
“Good morning, Dad” JJ hesitantly released my hand so I could hug him, as well as my mother. “How are you guys feeling this morning?”
“We’re fine, dear.” My mother gave me a small smile, placing her hand on my cheek before dragging her eyes to JJ. “Hello. Who is this, Blossom?”
Stepping back to my man’s side, I couldn’t help the happiness and pride that I felt. It had been three days since we decided to make it official, and I had been on cloud nine ever since. This was the happiest I’d ever been in my entire life.
“JJ, these are my parents, Clarence and Clarise Reid.” I beamed up at him, blushing as he winked at me. “Mom and Dad, this is my man?—”
“Dr. McKnight!” My father extended his hand to shake JJ’s. “You’re a medical examiner here in the city, alongside Dr. Massey. Your colleagues have been singing your praises through our offices. The work you’ve been doing, not just for the city, but for the state, is impeccable. It’s nice to officially meet you.”
“Thank you, Governor.” JJ gave my father a curt nod before addressing my mother. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Reid.”
“Oh my, you’re handsome,” my mother cooed as she shook his hand. “You did well, daughter.”
Rolling my eyes playfully at her, I took a deep breath and stepped toward my brother. His eyes bounced back and forth between JJ and me, and I could see the questions in them. As I assessed him, my heart broke. I wasn’t sorry he was here, butI was sad because I knew this was the end of the road for us. I would always have love for my brother, but I had already wiped my hands clean of him. My sole reason for showing up today was to support my parents. I also wanted him to know that my life will go on.
Dressed in all white, he sat in a wheelchair, unable to make a sound. The burns all over his face and hands must have been pretty bad because the dead skin looked disgusting. He was completely blind in one eye, and there was a very distinct smell that exuded from him.
He’s rotting on earth in preparation for eternity.
“I won’t be here long,” I said in a gentle tone, taking a seat in front of him. I held my head high as I kept eye contact with the man I called my brother for the last twenty-six years. “Rowan, I didn’t come here to belittle you, forgive you, or ensure that you get the karma you deserve for all you’ve done. I came here to let you know that I release you…”
The silence in the room was louder than the hums of the cooling systems. His chest heaved steadily as he stared at me in silence for the first time since I could remember. I could see the internal battle he was having, not being able to speak his mind and demand to know who JJ was. He no longer had the upper hand—no longer had the excuses of his mental illnesses and childhood trauma to coat his poor behaviors. Clearing my throat, I gathered myself and continued, not letting his eyes halt my final words to him.
“I always loved and admired you, Rowan. You were so strong to me, and I was proud to call you my big brother. I just hate that you never felt the same about me.” Flashbacks of our childhood came to me but quickly faded as they were replaced with the moment he gave me away as if I were disposable. I sighed heavily before standing, his eyes following my every move. “I’ll always have love for you—that’s just how my heart is set up—but lovedoesn’t mean access. It definitely doesn’t mean loyalty when loyalty almost cost me my life.”
Stepping back, I scanned his eyes one final time hoping to see my brother, but all I saw was the eyes of a demon. “I release you from the burden of being my brother, Rowan, and I’m releasing myself from the burden of being your sister. When you sleep at night, I hope your dreams teach you something I couldn’t.”
“Oh, trust me, they will.” JJ came behind me and wrapped me in his arms. Kissing my cheek, he smiled as he peered down at a visibly shaken Rowan. “What’s up, bro? How’s life treating you?”
